Hector | Greek mythology | Britannica.com Greek mythology Hecuba Hector, in Greek legend , the eldest son of the Trojan king Priam and his queen Hecuba . He was the husband of Andromache and the chief warrior of the Trojan army. In Homer’s Iliad he is represented as an ideal warrior and the mainstay of Troy . His character is drawn in most favourable colours as a good son, a loving husband and father, and a trusty friend. His leave-taking of Andromache in the sixth book of the Iliad, and his departure to meet Achilles for the last time, are movingly described. He is an especial favourite of Apollo , and later poets even described him as son of that god. His chief exploits during the Trojan War were his defense of the wounded Sarpedon, his fight with Ajax , son of Telamon (his particular enemy), and the storming of the Greek ramparts. When Achilles , enraged with Agamemnon , deserted the Greeks, Hector drove them back to their ships, which he almost succeeded in burning. Patroclus , the friend of Achilles, who came to the help of the Greeks, was slain by Hector with the help of Apollo.

Then Achilles, to revenge his friend’s death, returned to the war, slew Hector, dragged his body behind his chariot to the camp, and afterward round the tomb of Patroclus. Aphrodite and Apollo preserved it from corruption and mutilation. Priam , guarded by Hermes, went to Achilles and prevailed on him to give back the body, which was buried with great honour. Hector was afterward worshipped in the Troad and also at Tanagra, east of Thebes . King Priam of Troy mourning over the body of his son Hector. © Photos.com/Jupiterimages Hector - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up) In Homer’s epic poem the Iliad, Hector is the son of the Trojan King Priam and the greatest of the Trojan heroes. When the Greeks besieged Troy, Hector’s wife, Andromache, begged him not to fight, but Hector embraced their child and left to join the battle. Hector killed Patroclus, a friend of the Greek hero Achilles, and in revenge Achilles killed Hector. Achilles then drove his chariot around the walls of Troy, dragging Hector’s body behind him. Priam finally begged his son’s body from Achilles.

The Trojans, mourning, burned Hector’s body, and buried his ashes. When the fighting resumed, Troy fell to the Greeks. (See also Achilles; Homeric legend.) Article History Hector Hector by James Hunter Hector was the eldest son of Priam and Hecuba ; he was the husband of Andromache and the father of Astyanax . Hector was the mightiest warrior on the side of Troy during the Trojan War, and he led many of the attacks against the Greek troops. He and Ajax fought to a draw in single combat, and he killed Patroclus, the close friend and companion of Achilles . He was eventually killed by Achilles, who was eager to avenge Patroclus' death. Achilles then desecrated Hector's corpse by dragging it behind his chariot before the walls of Troy, and refused to give up the body for burial. Achilles only allowed the body to receive funeral rites after King Priam came to his tent to plead for its return in person. Article details: Hector 1 - Greek Mythology Link About • Copyright © 1997 Carlos Parada and Maicar Förlag.

Hector 1 advanced Hector 1 admonishes Paris , who removes his wreath and reaches for his helmet. Behind them sits beautiful Helen . 4225: Pierre-Claude-François Delvome 1783-1859: Hector adressant des reproches à Paris. Musée de Picardie, Amiens. Hera : Daughter of Zeus , can you and I look on, without a final effort, while the Achaeans perish? For that they will, and miserably too, mowed down by a single man. See what Hector has done to them already. And now there is no stopping him in his mad career. Athena : Nothing could please me more than to see that mad career cut short and have him killed on his native soil by Achaean hands. But my father is in a wicked mood, obstinate old sinner that he is. (Homer, Iliad 8.350). "Hector is going to give his enemies no rest until Achilles comes to life again beside his ships on the day when at the sterns of the ships they shall be fighting about Patroclus fallen. That is decreed by Heaven." ( Zeus to Hera .

Homer, Iliad 8.475). " Agamemnon has built a wall and dug a trench along it, complete with palisade. But even so he cannot keep the murderous Hector out! But so long as I was fighting with the Achaeans Hector had no mind to go into battle at any distance from the city walls. He came no farther than the Scaean Gate and the oak-tree, where he met me one day, and was lucky to get home alive." ( Achilles to Odysseus . Homer, Iliad 9.350). "As for Hector and his griefs, hear how the case stands; he is dead and gone, but still his Fame remains as bravest of the brave, and this was a result of the Achaeans' coming; for had they remained at home, his worth would have gone unnoticed." ( Cassandra . Euripides, Daughters of Troy 394). "We praise not Hector; though his name, we know, Is great in arms; 'tis hard to praise a foe." ( Nestor . Ovid, Metamorphoses 12.550).

"I love to speak plain truth always; nature did not give me a double tongue." (Hector 1 to Rhesus 2 . Euripides, Rhesus 395). This painting illustrates the scene in the Iliad 6.312ff. Paris reaching for the helmet corresponds to what he later says to Hector (line 340): "So give me a moment while I arm for battle …" The artist has arranged the scene that inspired him a little differently; for there should be some maids who cannot be seen in the scene from the viewer's angle. Also Paris was, in the text, already busy with his armor when Hector arrived, whereas in the painting he reaches for his helmet only after Hector's exhortation. Nevertheless, the artist follows the spirit of the text, exposing the differences between Hector the warrior and Paris the lover. Paris and Helen's world of love and sensuality is represented with golden and pale colours bathing in light. A statuette of Aphrodite holding a dove presides it. There are flowers on the floor, and food and drink are set on the table.

The fragility of this seductive realm is emphasized by the nudity of the characters, and especially in Paris, who caught by two opposite worlds and being the link between them, is now embarrassed and therefore should not be naked any more. Ironically, he must remove yet another item from his body (the wreath) before he puts on his armor. The excitement of Paris, who has dropped the lyre, contrasts with the serenity or indifference of Helen, who, being the passive object of the conflicting passions surrounding her, is not affected by Hector's presence. In the painting, Helen is one and the same with her world, and therefore she is not disturbed. Vanity might be believed to show in the peacock feathers of Helen's fan, and excitability in the skin on the bed. Hector, who as ambassador of bloodshed appears in red mantle, has already spoken when his spear and shield overshadow the scene. His irruption announces the darkness of war, which covers him and also Paris' armor on the opposite side (the lovers are surrounded by the shadows of war).

Relying on contrast, the painting expresses, by means of light and darkness, the colliding worlds of love and war, or of sensuality and discipline, or of pleasure and duty. But even if Hector is present, the realm of heroism is not. He stands like a summoning messenger: not in the light of great deeds, but in the obscurity of duty and necessity. Darkness, as a pictorial form of space perspective, confirms that Hector's world is far from this, to his character, strange scene. Killed by Hector 1 Leader of Elis , son of Cteatus & Theronice. Anchialus 1 and Menesthes 1 These two were riding the same chariot when Hector 1 attacked them. Antilochus Son of Nestor , but some say he was killed by the Ethiopian Memnon . Archesilaus Leader of the Boeotians and son of Areilycus 1 & Theobula 1. Coeranus 1 The squire of Meriones, a leader from Crete . Dolops 1 One of the best in the Myrmidon force, son of Agacles.

Lycophron Son of Mastor 1 and a Cytherian squire of Ajax 1 . Oresbius 1 A rich man who lived in Hyle, a city in Boeotia. Periphetes 1 A Mycenaean warrior son of Copreus, who was himself son of Pelops 1 and herald of Eurystheus (see also Heracles 1 ). Protesilaus Leader from Phylace, a Thessalian city west of the Gulf of Pagasae; Protesilaus was the first of the Achaeans to land on Trojan soil, and the first of the Achaeans to be killed in the war. But some say that he was killed by a Dardanian leader or by Cycnus 1, ruler of Colonae, a city in the Troad. Schedius 1 Leader of Phocis, a region bordering the Gulf of Corinth west of Boeotia, and son of the Argonaut Iphitus 2. Schedius 3 Another Phocian, son of Perimedes 3.

Stichius An Athenian who carried the body of Amphimachus 1 off the battlefield and later supported Menestheus 1 against the attacks of Hector 1. Trechus An Aetolian spearman. Hector 1 also killed: Aesymnus, Agelaus 7, Asaeus, Autonous 1, Eioneus 1, Helenus 3, Hipponous 3, Oenomaus 2, Opheltius 2, Opites, Orestes 3, Orus 2, Patroclus 1 , and Teuthras 1. Hector 1, of the flashing helm, was the eldest among the children of King Priam 1 of Troy and Hecabe 1 . He was expected to become king of Troy after his father. But as the city was attacked by the Achaean invaders, he became the leader of the alliance defending Troy . In the tenth year of the war Hector 1 was killed, and the kingdom that was his inheritance was destroyed. Unknown childhood of the pillar of Troy Nothing is told about the childhood of Hector 1 nor on his life before the Trojan War .

This man came to be known for his courageous interventions during the Trojan War and for being the very fundament of the defence of the city. And yet some have said that before the Trojan War , Hector 1 came to Hellas, and having taken the city of Troezen , carried away Aethra 2, mother of Theseus , and took her to Troy (for another version of the abduction of Aethra 2 see Helen ). Anyhow Hector 1 became the pillar of the city. And when the Achaeans talked, planned or dreamt about the destruction of Troy , they seldom failed to mention the need of killing its mighty defender, if that aim was to be achieved. Thinks his brother is a curse Hector 1 fulfilled his duty as defender and commander of the troops without hesitation. However, he was visibly annoyed with his brother Paris , who, through the abduction of Helen , had caused the conflict that threatened the existence of Troy . That is why he could address Paris thus: " Paris , you pretty boy, you woman seducer, why were you ever born? Why weren't you killed before your wedding day?" (Hector 1 to Paris . Homer, Iliad 3.39).

And as Paris was reluctant to meet Menelaus in single combat, Hector 1 reproached him: "Can you be the man who carried off a beautiful woman from a distant land and warlike family, to be a curse to your father, to the city, and to the whole people? Are you too cowardly to stand up to the brave man whom you wronged? You would soon find out the kind of fighter he is whose lovely wife you stole." (Hector 1 to Paris . Homer, Iliad 3.45). At a later time he would admonish Paris with similar words: "It is your fault that this city is invaded by the sounds of battle." (Hector 1 to Paris . Homer, Iliad 6.327). Temporary Trojan victory The Trojans were fated, by the will of Zeus , to win several victories during the last year of the war. And that was so, because the god, having heard the prayers of Thetis, had decided to punish Agamemnon 's pride and the Achaeans for the outrage Achilles had suffered when his sweetheart Briseis was taken away from him.

And so, while Achilles nursed his bitter wrath and refused to fight, Zeus gave victory and glory to Hector 1, who killed many warriors, and finally threatened the Achaean fleet. Pious and temperate man A pious man was Hector 1, for he would not offer a libation to the gods with unwashed hands, or pray while being bespattered with blood and filth. He was also a temperate man, for he would abstain, during a break in the battle, to drink wine , feeling it would cripple him, and make him forgetful of his courage. And yet it was his own mother who offered it with reasonable words: " Wine is a great comfort to a weary man; and you must be exhausted after fighting so hard for your dear ones." ( Hecabe 1 to Hector 1. Homer, Iliad 6.260). Hector 1 never hesitated and was always dutiful. He never rested when he had tasks in front of him. Also Helen invited him to a short pause, but he refused: Helen : Come in now, my dear brother, and sit down on this chair.

No one in Troy has a greater burden to bear than you, all through my own shame and the wickedness of Paris . Hector 1: Helen , you are kind, but do not ask me to sit down. I am late already and anxious to return and help the Trojans, who miss me terribly when I am gone. (Homer, Iliad 6.355). And this devotion towards his duty, which he recognizes as defence of country and family, does not fade in front of the inevitable disaster, for Hector 1 himself acknowledges that his efforts will be fruitless: Good-byes of Hector 1 and Andromache . To the right, on horseback, is Paris . 4609: Vien Joseph-Marie 1716-1809: Les adieux d'Hector et d'Andromaque. Musée des beaux arts, Caen. "Deep in my heart I know the day is coming when Troy will be destroyed." (Hector 1 to Andromache . Homer, Iliad , 6.445).

And, as if a prophetic vision had seized him, he laments what in fact will take place: the death of his father and brothers, and Andromache 's lost freedom. Thus, seeing the future as if it were displayed in front of his eyes, he cannot see the point in trying to spare his own life, and so suffer hearing the screams of his own wife as the enemy drags her off. Andromache 's appeal Andromache begs him to live: "You, Hector, are father and mother and brother to me, as well as my beloved husband. Have pity on me now; stay here in the city, and do not make your boy an orphan and your wife a widow." ( Andromache to Hector 1. Homer, Iliad 6.430). But he tells Andromache what he knows people in a foreign country who see her as prisoner will say: "There goes the wife of Hector, who was the champion of the Trojans when Troy was besieged". (Hector 1 to Andromache . Homer, Iliad 6.460).

This proved to be true, for later being in Hellas she lamented: "In days gone by I was a woman to be envied, but now I am, if any woman ever was, the paragon of misery. I have many things, not one, to lament, my native land, the death of Hector, and the hard lot to which I have been yoked when I fell undeservedly into slavery." ( Andromache . Euripides, Andromache 5). And yet, when kissing his little child Astyanax 2, he cannot see his fate and prays to the gods what will prove impossible: "Grant that this boy of mine be as strong and brave as I; a mighty king of Troy ." (Hector 1. Homer, Iliad 6.475). Single combat and the gift of an enemy In one occasion, Hector 1 and the Achaean champion Ajax 1 fought in single combat that was without issue because the heralds parted them as the night was coming. In recognition of their courage the contenders exchanged gifts.

But, as it is said, the gifts of enemies bring no good, for Ajax 1 gave Hector 1 the belt by which he was later dragged by Achilles , and Hector 1 gave Ajax 1 the sword with which he killed himself. Death of Hector 1. 3922: Peter Paul Rubens 1577-1640: Achilles doodt Hector. Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, Rotterdam. Zeus gives glory to Hector 1 Zeus had promised Thetis to honour her son Achilles , and so the god showed the Achaeans, through defeat's bitter lesson, the value of the man they had offended, letting the Trojans win. Zeus even sent Iris 1 with a message to Hector 1, letting him learn that when Agamemnon would be wounded, that was the signal for him to attack and slay warriors until he reached the Achaean ships. Does not believe in omens However, when this was about to happen and the Trojans were preparing to break the Achaean defence and were standing at the trench ready to cross, a portent appeared to them. They saw an eagle holding a blood-red snake in his talons.

The snake was alive, and suddenly it bit the eagle on the breast, and the bird had to drop it before he reached his nest. Some Trojans understood this omen thus: that even if they succeeded in breaking the Achaean wall, they would not be able to set the ships afire, that many warrior would die, and that finally they would have to return to the city without having achieved complete victory. But Hector 1, who felt he had been promised glory by Zeus , said that he was not to base his actions on the flight of birds, and so he gave the signal to advance. Zeus looks away And in fact that was Hector 1's day of glory and victory, for the defences were broken and the Achaeans were driven in rout among the ships. Having achieved this, Zeus turned his eyes elsewhere, deeming that no other god would ever dare to intervene, as he had strictly forbidden them to help anybody in battle. But Poseidon , seeing that Zeus ' attention was not in the battlefield, came to where the fight was, and assuming the seer Calchas ' shape, gave the Achaeans renewed courage.

When Zeus discovered what had happened, and that even the life of Hector 1 had been in danger, he soon reestablished the line of action he had decided, letting the Trojans reach the Achaean ships and Hector 1 win a victory, in order to fulfill the prayer of Thetis. But Zeus was only waiting for the glare of a burning ship; for from that time forth, he would grant glory to the Achaeans, and let the Trojans be defeated. Death of Patroclus 1 When one of the ships caught fire, Achilles perceived the gravity of the situation, and letting go a part of his wrath, he let his friend Patroclus 1 go into battle with a force of Myrmidons. But as it had been predicted, Hector 1 killed Patroclus 1 , who before dying said: "You too, I swear it, have not long to live. Already Destiny and Death are very close to you, and you will die at the hands of Achilles ." ( Patroclus 1 , dying, to Hector 1. Homer, Iliad 16.850).

When Hector 1 had killed Patroclus 1 , he intended to behead the corpse, drag it off, and give it to the dogs of Troy , but the body was finally retrieved by the Achaeans. Yet he kept Achilles ' armour, which Patroclus 1 had worn. Achilles honoured, and yet disappointed All these dead Achaeans were in fact the work of Zeus , for the god punished them for having offended Achilles . And yet Achilles could now say: "It is true that Zeus has done that much in my behalf. But what satisfaction can I get from that, now that my dearest friend Patroclus is dead? I have no wish to live unless Hector falls by my spear and dies." ( Achilles to his mother Thetis. Homer, Iliad 18.80). Now it became clear for Thetis that all her efforts to honour her child led to his destruction, and that is why she, weeping, warns him a last time: "If that is so, you surely have not long to live; for after Hector's death you are doomed to die immediately." (Thetis to Achilles . Homer, Iliad 18.95).

But death is nothing to Achilles now, for he feels that his wrath had transformed him into an idle burden, and that he failed to save his friend and many others from death. So after having received a new armour from Hephaestus and having put and end to his feud with Agamemnon , he went in search of Hector 1 and death. Hector 1 decides to meet destiny Achilles dragging the body of Hector | il439flax: "Neither would he fail to mark the Dawn, as she shone over the sea and the sea-beaches, but would yoke beneath the car his swift horses, and bind Hector behind the chariot to drag him withal; and when he had haled him thrice about the barrow of the dead Patroclus, he would rest again in his hut, but would leave Hector outstretched on his face in the dust. But Apollo kept all defacement from his flesh, pitying the warrior even in death, and with the golden aegis he covered him wholly, that Achilles might not tear his body as he dragged him." (Hom.Il.24.15. John Flaxman (1755 – 1826).

Hector 1 was not less decided to meet his own fate. So he said to the Trojans: "I am going to meet Achilles , though his hands are like fire, and his heart like steel." (Hector 1. Homer, Iliad 20.370). It is not decisive who was stronger, because as they saw it, these things were in the knees of the gods, and it may very well happen that heaven lets the weaker man win. For in fact, no one can tell on whose head fortune will land next time. King Priam 1 tried to dissuade his son from fighting a man, son of a goddess, far stronger than himself. And the same did his mother Hecabe 1 , who exhorted him to fight within the walls of the city, instead of meeting the savage Achilles in single combat. They resorted both to reason and tears, but all their entreaties were wasted on this son, and they failed to shake Hector 1's resolution. And yet when the crucial moment approached and Hector 1 was waiting for Achilles , many doubts appeared in his thoughts: Should he had withdrawn the army when Achilles came to life again?

Would not the Trojans say that he trusted his own arm and lost his army? Could he not make overtures to Achilles , and for example, deliver Helen and the property Paris stole from Sparta ? Could he not propose to share all the rest of the Trojan possessions with the Achaeans? Thoughts of a man in danger Many things may be thought by a man in danger, trying to figure up how the present nightmare might be averted. So there was almost no thought or possible solution that Hector 1 did not consider at that moment. And he even thought of inducing his countrymen to swear in council that they would hide nothing, but divide all the Trojan property in two equal parts, to be shared with the enemy. For peace, agreement, and sharing, which seldom awake enthusiasm when they in daily life are taken for granted, become the object of profound longing when they are lost. The Achaeans murder little Astyanax 2, the son of Hector 1. 02169: Death of Astyanax. "And Astyanax was hurled down from that tower where he was wont often to sit and watch his father." (Ov. Met. 13.415). Guillaume T.

de Villenave, Les Métamorphoses d'Ovide (Paris, Didot 1806–07). Engravings after originals by Jean-Jacques François Le Barbier (1739–1826), Nicolas André Monsiau (1754–1837), and Jean-Michel Moreau (1741–1814). Courage may fail the bravest Hector 1's inward debate was followed by the kind of prophetic inspiration he had in his dialogue with his wife Andromache (see above). When he caught sight of Achilles , feeling that something terrible was about to happen, he began to tremble, and losing heart he ran away in terror. So the combat started like a race with Hector 1 in front and Achilles behind, pursuing him round the city of Troy . So they went on until Zeus , lifting his golden scales and weighing their sentences of death, saw the side of Hector 1 come down, spelling his doom.

Then Apollo , who up to that point had protected Hector 1, deserted him, and Athena , who wished to help Achilles , assuming the shape of Deiphobus 1, brother of Hector 1, came to him and convinced him of making a stand and face Achilles , both together, she said. Death That is how Hector 1 finally decided to stop running and fight. But very soon, having discovered that there was no Deiphobus 1 by his side, Hector 1 realized that the gods had fooled him, that death was not far away, and that he was about to face his doom. This came quickly, for Achilles ' lance wounded him mortally in the neck. In vain Hector 1 begged Achilles not to give his body to the dogs. And as if men became prophets in front of death he said to Achilles : "Your heart is hard as iron. Nevertheless, pause before you act, in case the angry gods remember how you treated me, when your turn comes and you are killed at the Scaean Gate by Paris and Apollo ." (Hector 1 to Achilles . Homer, Iliad 22.355).

Body outraged The soul of Hector 1 descended to Hades lamenting, as they say, its lot and the youth it was leaving, but his body Achilles outraged in a shameful way. He pierced the tendons at the back of his feet from the heel to the ankle, and having inserted leather straps (the belt of Ajax 1 ), he bound them to his chariot, leaving the head to trail. And having done this, he drove the chariot in front of the walls and round the city, while the head of Hector 1 tumbled against the ground. It was not before hard negotiations, during a humiliating meeting with King Priam 1 , that Achilles accepted the body to be ransomed by the father of the man he had killed. When Hecabe 1 was taken away as a prize by Odysseus from the sacked Troy, she carried the ashes of her son, for it has been chanted: Yet Hector's ashes from his urn she bore, And in her bosom the sad relic wore: Then scatter'd on his tomb her hoary hairs, A poor oblation mingled with her tears. (Ovid, Metamorphoses 13.425).

Epilogue In such a way fell he who had been the first among the Trojan warriors, and the one who was to become king of Troy , had not the city been destroyed. His wife Andromache was given as a prize to Achilles ' son Neoptolemus , and had a child Amphialus 1 by him. At Neoptolemus ' death, Andromache married Helenus 1 , a seer and brother of Hector 1, who became king of Epirus. Little Astyanax 2 was thrown down by the Achaeans, from the battlements at Troy . Some say that Neoptolemus performed this deed, but others say that it was Odysseus who murdered little Astyanax 2. However, in spite of all rumours about his death, he is also said to have been taken by Neoptolemus and later allowed to return home from Hellas, becoming king of Scepsis, a place near Mt. Ida, not far away from Troy . Another with identical name Hector 2 is a king of Chios.

Family HECTOR, Greek Mythology Index HECTOR ΕΚΤΩΡ The chief hero of the Trojans in their war with the Greeks, was the eldest son of Priam by Hecabe , the husband of Andromache , and father of Scamandrius . (Hom. Il. ii. 817; Apollod. iii. 12. § 5; Theocrit. xv. 139.) Some traditions describe him as a son of Apollo (Tzetz. ad Lycoph. 265; Schol. Venet. ad II. iii. 314.), and speak of him as the father of two sons by Andromache, viz. Scamandrius and Laodamas , or Amphineus . (Dict. Cret. iii. 20.) According to the most common account, Protesilaus , who was the first of the Greeks that jumped upon the Trojan coast, was slain by Hector. (Lucian, Dial. Mort. 23, 1; Hygin. Fab.

113.) This, however, is not mentioned in the Iliad; and his first act described in that poem is his censure of Alexander ( Paris ) who, after having gone out to fight Menelaus in single combat, took to flight. (Il. iii. 39, &c.) He himself then challenged Menelaus. During the battle he was accompanied by Ares , with whom he rushed forward to protect his friend Sarpedon , and slew many Greeks (v. 590, &c.) When Diomedes had wounded Ares, and was pressing the Trojans very hard, Hector hastened to the city to request Hecabe to pray to Athena for assistance. (vi. 110.) Hereupon he went to Paris and had a conversation with him and Helena , reproaching the former for his cowardice. He then went to his own house to seek Andromache , but she was absent; and he afterwards found her with her child Scamandrius at the Scaean gate. The scene which there took place is one of the most delicate and beautiful scenes in the Iliad (vi. 406, &c.).

After having taken leave of his wife and child, he returned to battle, and challenged the bravest of the Greeks to single combat. No one ventured to come forward except Menelaus, who, however, was dissuaded from it by his friends. The lot then fell upon the Telamonian Ajax . Hector was wounded, and at nightfall the battle ceased, and the two heroes honoured each other with presents. After this he again distinguished himself by various feats (viii. 307, &c., x. 299, &c.,xi. 163, &c.) In the fierce battle in the camp of the Greeks, he was struck with a stone by Ajax, and carried away from the field of battle (xiv. 402). Apollo cured his wound, and then led him back to battle. He there repelled Ajax, and fire was set to the ships of the Greeks (xv. 253, &c. xvi. 114, &c.). In the encounter with Patroclus , he at first gave way, but, encouraged by Apollo, he returned, fought with Patroclus, slew him, took off his armour, and put it on himself (xvi.

654. &c., xvii. 192). Thereupon a vehement contest took place about the body of Patroclus, which Hector refused to give up. Polydamas advised him to withdraw to the city before the arrival of Achilles , but the Trojan hero refused (xviii. 160, &c.). Apollo forbade Hector to enter upon a contest with Achilles; but when the two heroes met, they were protected by Apollo and Athena (xx. 375, &c.). The Trojans fled, but Hector, although called back by his parents in the most imploring terms, remained and awaited Achilles. When, however, the latter made his appearance, Hector took to flight, and was chased thrice around the city (xxii. 90, &c.). His fall was now determined on by Zeus and Athena ; and assuming the appearance of Deiphobus , Athena urged him to make his stand against the pursuer. Hector was conquered, and fell pierced by the spear of Achilles (xxii. 182-330; comp Dict. Cret. iii. 15).

Achilles tied his body to his own chariot, and thus dragged him into the camp of the Greeks; but later traditions relate that he first dragged the body thrice around the walls of Ilium. (Virg. Aen. i. 483.) In the camp the body was thrown into the dust, that it might be devoured by the dogs. But Aphrodite embalmed it with ambrosia, and Apollo protected it by a cloud. At the command of Zeus, however, Achilles surrendered the body to the prayers of Priam (xxiv. 15, &c.; comp. Eustath. ad Hom. p. 1273; Virg. Aen. i. 484). When the body arrived at Ilium, it was placed on a bier ; and while Andromache held the head of her beloved Hector on her knees, the lamentations began, whereupon the body was burned, and solemnly buried (xxiv. 718, &c.). Funeral games were celebrated on his tomb (Virg. Aen. v. 371; Philostr. Her.

10), and on the throne of Apollo at Amyclae, the Trojans were seen offering sacrifices to him. (Paus. iii. 18. § 9.) In pursuance of an oracle, the remains of Hector were said to have been conveyed to the Boeotian Thebes, where his tomb was shown in later times. (Paus. ix. 18. § 4; Tzetz. ad Lycoph. 1194.) Hector is one of the noblest conceptions of the poet of the Iliad. He is the great bulwark of Troy, and even Achilles trembles when he approaches him. He has a presentiment of the fall of his country, but he perseveres in his heroic resistance, preferring death to slavery and disgrace. But besides these virtues of a warrior, he is distinguished also, and perhaps more so than Achilles, by those of a man: his heart is open to the gentle feelings of a son, a husband, and a father. He was represented in the Lesche at Delphi by Polygnotus (Paus. x. 31. § 2), and on the chest of Cypselus (v. 19.

§ 1), and he is frequently seen in vase paintings. Hector Hector See More Hector Pictures > Hector was a prince of Troy in Greek mythology, son of King Priam and Queen Hecuba . His wife was Andromache and they had a son, Scamandrius or Astyanax. Hector was considered the greatest warrior of Troy , but he did not approve of the war that had started between the Greeks and the Trojans. During the Trojan War , he was the leader of the Trojan army. It was prophesied that the first Greek who would land on Trojan soil would die. Odysseus , cunning as he was, threw his shield on the soil and landed on it. Therefore, the next person who stepped off the ship was Protesilaus and was killed in a duel with Hector , fulfilling the prophecy. Hector later proposed that a truce be called between the two sides, and a duel should decide the result of the war. Ajax was the Greek hero who stepped forward and duelled Hector . However, the duel ended in a stalemate after a whole day of fighting, and the two heroes exchanged gifts, admiring each other's strength and skills. The last fight that Hector gave was against Achilles .

However, when he saw Achilles and while he was ready to fight him, he suddenly was overcome with fear and started running. Achilles chased him, and Hector finally decided to battle his fear and stopped running, after seeing the goddess Athena in the form of his brother Deiphobus. Achilled threw a spear against Hector , who managed to evade it. However, when he turned to get a spear from his brother, he saw no one there, and realised that he was about to die. With the last amount of courage he had, he drew his sword; after a fierce duel between the two heroes , Hector died. Achilles , enraged that Hector had killed his friend Patroclus , then dragged Hector 's body with his chariot, outside the Trojan gates for twelve days, before he finally accepted to give it to the Trojans, so they could bury him properly. Prince Hector of Troy - Character Profile Prince Hector of Troy - Character Profile Prince Hector of Troy - Character Profile Hector Visits Andromache With Astyanax on Her Lap. Apulian Red-figure Column-krater. c. 370-360 B.C. Marie-Lan Nguyen/Wikimedia Commons.

Updated August 15, 2016. Definition: Hector, oldest child of Priam and Hecuba, presumed heir to the throne of Troy, devoted husband of Andromache, and father of Astyanax, was the greatest Trojan hero of the Trojan War , the main defender of Troy, and a favorite of Apollo. With Apollo's help Hector killed Patroclus, the best friend of Achilles, the greatest of the Greeks, but staying on the sidelines due to a conflict with Agamemnon. When Hector killed his friend, Achilles became enraged and so agreed to join the other Greeks in fighting against the Trojans. Achilles avenged the death of his friend by killing Hector, after which, to disgrace the Trojan prince and to let off some of his steaming madness, he dragged Hector's corpse around the grave of Patroclus three times. Priam had to go to Achilles to beg for the body of Hector so he could give him a proper burial. Despite the abuse to his corpse, the gods had kept Hector intact. Since Hector was one of the truly virtuous pagans, Dante located Hector in Limbo, in his Inferno.

continue reading below our video Test Your General Science Knowledge Ancient Sources for Hector: Homer, Euripides, Apollodorus, Quintus Smyrnaeus, and Pindar. Go to Other Ancient / Classical History Glossary pages beginning with the letter Pronunciation: hek'-tor • (noun) Alternate Spellings: Hektor Examples: In the movie Troy Hector kills Ajax. This involves a different timeline from the one used in the ancient stories. See Did Hector Kill Ajax? . Hector Hector . In Greek mythology , Hector ( Έκτορας ) ("holding fast"), or Hektor, was a Trojan prince and one of the greatest fighters in the Trojan War , equal to Ajax and surpassed only by Achilles . He was the eldest son of Priam and Hecuba . In the Iliad , Homer calls him "breaker of horses," largely to maintain the meter of his lines and because Troy in general was known for horse raising. Hector is never specifically shown breaking horses. With his wife, Andromache , he fathered Astyanax. He had a horse named Lampos and friends named Misenus and Poludamas . His charioteer was Cebriones , his half-brother.

Hector provides a stark contrast for Achilles, who was from first to last a man of war. Hector represents Troy and what it stood for. Some modern scholars have even suggested that he, not Achilles, is the true hero of the Iliad. Hector was fighting, not for personal glory, but in defense of his homeland. His rebuke to Poludamas, "Fight for your country - that is the first and only omen" became a proverb to patriotic Greeks. Through him we can see glimpses of what life in Troy and elsewhere in the Bronze Age Mediterranean civilization depicted by Homer might have been like in more peaceful times. The scene where he bids farewell to his wife Andromache and his infant son is one of the more moving scenes in the Iliad. Hector takes the armor from his parents Priam and Hecuba, Euthymides painter During the Trojan War, Hector killed Protesilaus and was wounded by Ajax. In the portion of the war described in the Iliad, he fights with many of the Greek warriors and usually (but not always) succeeds in killing or wounding his opponent. Nonetheless, Hector's fate is never in doubt.

Achilles , raging over the death of Patroclus , kills him and drags his body around the walls of Troy. Ultimately, with the assistance of the god Hermes , Priam convinces Achilles to permit him to bury Hector. The final passage in the Iliad is his funeral, after which the doom of Troy is just a matter of time. In the final sack of Troy, as described in Book II of the Aeneid, his father and many of his brothers are killed, his son is hurled from the walls in fear that he would avenge Hector, and his wife is carried off by Neoptolemus to live as a slave.

Question: In Greek myth who was the father of Hector?
Answer: PRIAM